Honda's Seriousness In Developing Hydrogen Vehicles, Will Build A New Factory In Japan

JAKARTA - Honda is getting serious about working on hydrogen vehicles, the proof is that it will build the latest production facilities to produce a new generation of Fuel Cell systems in Japan.

Later, the new factory is scheduled to start operating on March 31, 2028, and will utilize part of the land and a power unit factory facility located in Moka City, Tochigi Prefecture.

The facility will have an area of 28,901 square meters, and will be Honda's first fully dedicated factory to production of the Fuel Cell system, self-developed.

"With advanced equipment, this factory is designed to achieve high efficiency and produce quality products with an annual production capacity of up to 30,000 units," Honda wrote in a statement, from its official statement received on Saturday, December 21.

To support the construction of the factory, Honda plans to submit a subsidy of 14.78 million Yen from the Japanese government, or equivalent to Rp1.52 billion. The subsidy covers projects led by several related stakeholders.

"This initiative is part of Japan's strategic move to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050," the company added in a statement.

As is known, this well-known Japanese brand continues to strive to expand the coverage of hydrogen-based vehicle business lines, the way it focuses on utilizing the Fuel Cell system in four key sectors, consisting of FCEV vehicles, commercial vehicles, stationary power plants, and construction machines.

With this new technology, Honda targets to achieve a 5 percent share of the hydrogen-fueled truck market by 2030. Furthermore, the company is optimistic that it can reach a 30 percent market share by around 2040.